The American cardinals who have been summoned to the Vatican to discuss the mushrooming priest sex-abuse scandal will seek guidance on setting a “one strike and you’re out” policy for all offenders.

Also high on their agenda is developing a uniform policy on turning pedophile priests over to civilian authorities, said Monsignor Francis Maniscalco, spokesman for the U.S. Bishops’ Conference.

All 13 American cardinals – including the three who work at the Vatican – have been asked to Rome to meet with top officials next Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s also expected they will meet with Pope John Paul II.

The sex-abuse scandal has rocked the Catholic Church, with some members of its U.S. hierarchy – notably Boston’s Cardinal Bernard Law – widely criticized for reassigning sex abusers rather than defrocking them and notifying law-enforcement officials.

“This crisis is calling into question not only the morality of the priests but the integrity of the hierarchy. That is not where we want to be, so the bishops want to deal with this,” Maniscalco told reporters at the Vatican.

He said the cardinals will discuss “whether this means that everyone with this background is out or whether there can be degrees of misconduct where someone can be declared safe after treatment.”

“The extent of the return to ministry [of sex offenders] is a very, very hot question right now in the U.S.,” Maniscalco said. “There are a lot of bishops in the U.S. who want some sort of response at a national level.”

Other controversial issues also may be introduced at the Vatican conference.

Several cardinals have said they will try to bring up such matters as celibacy, the screening of gay candidates for the priesthood and the ordination of women.

In addition, Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles has said he would press the pope to consider changing church doctrine on allowing priests to marry.

“I certainly plan to bring that one up next week,” he told a California TV station. “We’ve got to take a look at this. We cannot have a situation in the church where there is no issue or question that can’t be discussed and looked at.” With Post Wire Services

Cardinal’s Confession

Here’s an excerpt of Edward Cardinal Egan’s letter to parishioners in the Archdiocese of New York:

“Over the past 15 years, in both Bridgeport and New York, I consistently sought and acted upon the best independent advice available to me from medical experts and behavioral scientists. It is clear that today we have a much better understanding of this problem. If in hindsight we also discover that mistakes may have been made as regards prompt removal of priests and assistance to victims, I am deeply sorry.”